Kinda funny, but I was inspired by my Victoria’s Secret PJs to do this tutorial! You’ll see my inspiration in the “how-to” video. 😉

What I show here is a funky nail art cheetah/leopard design. I’m just going to call it cheetah print for now…does anybody know the difference? If so, please share!

Anyways, while hand-painting is time consuming, I think it gives you more options and you could do this on ALL of your fingers for a bolder design. I sometimes prefer a little variety, so I made it more subtle for an everyday look by painting this funky pattern ONLY on my ring finger. I did a pink tip manicure on my other 4 nails to tie in the cheetah print colors. Pretty cool, huh?

I used to think press-on nails were tacky. Something that was only acceptable for a little girl playing “dress up,” or something that would result in Freddy Krueger looking long, pointy nails. That is, until I saw a friend with a beautiful, natural looking french manicure (press-on artificial nails, no kidding!) and became obsessed. That was about 5 years ago, and I’ve been using them ever since. I’m telling you, the modern press-on nail is nowhere near where it used to be and is one of my tried and true little secrets. If you are looking for a quick, cheap DIY route to beautify your nails and hate the way acrylics tear them up, then this tutorial is for you!

My favorite brands are the Kiss Nails or Broadway Nails, and I always make sure to get the kind that say “Real Short” on the box. That way they are very natural looking, and go just past the tip of your finger. You can usually pick these up at your local drugstore, Walmart, or Target for under $6, and they last 1-2 weeks.

For this example, I’m using the Kiss brand.

Contents include a 2-sided nail file, 28 nails of different sizes (I can usually get two uses per box), a cuticle stick, and nail glue. You’ll want to prep your nails by removing all polish and drying them first, then you can proceed to the steps of applying the Kiss press-on nails.

STEP 1 – Prep and Push Back Cuticles

Push back cuticles with the cuticle stick so you can get the nails glued on as close to the base of the nail as possible. This gives the most natural effect, and helps the nails look better as they grow out.

STEP 2 – Rough Up Surface of Nail and Check Length

Use the nail file to grit up the surface of the nail. This helps the nail/glue to hold better and mani last longer. The blue side is a harsher grit, the pink side a finer grit, so use whichever you prefer. Also, make sure you file the length of your nails short enough so that they don’t poke out from under the press-on nail when applied.

STEP 3 – Select Best Fit Per Nail and Layout

Nails are numbered so that you can figure out which number fits which nail best. Typically the smaller the number, the smaller the press-on nail size.

“Try on” the press-on nail before gluing to figure out the best size per nail. If you can’t find one that is a perfect match, select the closest fit and file edges as necessary to fit your nail better.

Layout your nails from left pinky to left thumb, and right thumb to right pinky. Then you can easily glue on your nails in that order. Here are the sizes I have laid out.

Left pinky to right pinky – 11, 7, 6, 8, 2, 2, 8, 6, 7, 11

STEP 4 – Glue On Nails

Twist off the glue cap, then squeeze glue directly onto your first nail (I’m right handed and like to start with my left pinky). Make sure you put enough glue to cover the surface of the nail, but not too much because you don’t want it to squeeze out on the sides.

Then immediately pick up the corresponding nail, and press on firmly. Hold and press the nail in place for at least 10 seconds until glue has dried. Repeat for all 10 nails.

STEP 5 -Snap Off Number Tabs and Smooth Tab Tip

The tabs come off really easy and pretty clean. Wiggle the tabs back and forth to snap them off. If there is any leftover tab still on the nail, use the pink side of the nail file to gently smooth it down.

VOILA!

And there you go. A beautiful, french manicure in 5 easy steps. Be prepared to receive a lot of compliments, and it’s up to you if you want to share the little secret. 🙂

Again, I’ve used these a lot so I thought I’d share some additional info on these types of press-on artificial nails.

PROS

I used to get acrylics at the salon all the time, but that can be expensive, ruin your real nails, and takes a long time to apply. These nails are easy to put on, you can do it yourself in under 5 minutes, and easily pop them off when you want to. Does not mess up your real nails like acrylics!

I have a dreadful bad habit of biting my nails. I know…gross, but I can’t help it. I really prefer natural nails the most, and learned I’m better at fighting off the habit if I can grow my real nails long enough to keep them looking good with a mani. These press-on nails act as “shields” for about 2 weeks, allowing me to grow my real nails long enough to actually manicure.

I am extremely visual, so I hated when I went to the salon and the white tip for the french part was not exact on every nail, covered too much, one nail was longer then the rest, etc. Of course there’s understandable human error…nobody is perfect! But you can’t really compete when press-on nails are manufactured and every nail matches the next.

These nails are low maintenance. No need to paint, they don’t chip, or anything like that. However, you can definitely paint over them if you want, which gives you a nice base to paint. Especially if you’re a nail-biter like me. You can see an example in my ombre nail art tutorialwhere I paint over artificial nails.

CONS

As they are easy to pop off, sometimes they do pop off when you don’t want them to. Make sure you apply with plenty of glue, and you may want to keep the glue in your purse for emergency touch ups. Typically if applied right, they last 1-2 weeks.

They don’t mess up your real nails nearly as bad as acrylic ones at the salon, but I have noticed the glue can dry out your real nails a bit. To prevent this, make sure you don’t leave on the press-on nails for too long (2 weeks MAX), and rub cuticle oil into your nails when you remove them.

Have you tried press-on nails before? Let me know in a comment what you think the biggest pro or con is!